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U.S. News Reveals Best Diets 2018 rankings which delivers the facts about and ranks 40 diets on a range of levels, from their heart healthiness to their likelihood to help you lose weight.

The common theme of all the diet approaches is an emphasis on nourishment from plant-based foods. Plant-based foods are very important for reducing inflammation which is the driving force for many chronic conditions.

For this article, we’ve focused on the “Best Diets Overall” category.

Here are the top choices:

The Mediterranean Diet: A well-balanced eating plan that boosts longevity and helps prevent some chronic diseases, showcasing healthy foods like whole-grain pita and hummus, salads, fresh fruits and veggies, salmon and beneficial fats like olive oil. There is strong research that suggests a Mediterranean diet can preserve your brain volume with age, in addition to helping ward off diseases like Alzheimer’s. This approach is a great way to nourish your body, heart and brain!

The DASH Diet: This is a well-balanced eating plan for preventing and lowering blood pressure. Endorsed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the diet is packed with produce and light on saturated fat and salt. Consider the DASH approach if you have higher-than-normal blood pressure or cardiovascular disease (of have a family history of either).

The Flexitarian Diet marries two words: flexible and vegetarian. This approach allows you to choose vegetarian most of the time, but still enjoy a burger or steak when the urge strikes. This diet is grounded in nutritional soundness and safety and is in line with the government’s nutrient recommendations. ]

Weight Watchers: This diet is designed to help people eat better, move more and shift their mindset. The program assigns every food and beverage a SmartPoints value based on its nutrition.

The MIND Diet takes two proven diets – DASH and Mediterranean – and zeroes in on the food in each that specifically affect brain health. The National Institute on Aging awarded a $14.5 million grant to the Rush University-led team to launch a randomized, five-year clinical trial of the MIND diet that includes 600 older adults, some who will undergo brain scans to gauge its protective effects.

The Therapeutic Lifestyle Change (TLC) Diet promotes cardiovascular health and is a very solid diet plan with no major weaknesses. Experts like that it encourages high-fiber foods and discourages those high in saturated fat.

The Volumetrics Diet: This diet focuses on low-energey density foods—foods that have fewer calories per gram. Filling your plate with more low-density food means you’ll be eating fewer calories (without actually eating less food), while including generous amounts of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nonfat dairy and lean meat. It’s a safe and healthy way of eating and provides the majority of necessary nutrients.

Have you tried any of these diets? Leave us a comment below on which diet you recommend.

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